Amnesty International publishes report condemning Shell for falsely claiming to have cleaned up pollution in the Niger Delta, identified by UNEP in 2011.

"Activists claim that by failing to properly clean up the pollution the company is exposing thousands of residents to contaminated water, land, and air. Shell's reaction was to reject the UNEP's findings. The PR strategy consisted of re-directing activists to the Shell website and its public statements on commitments to the environment. Shell also deflected criticism by claiming that most oil spills are in fact caused by illegal activity (people trying to steal oil) rather than from poor maintenance

In an era of corporate social responsibility the act of denying culpability and refusing to develop a comprehensive risk communication strategy for the ongoing pollution severely threatens Shell's social license to operate."